People were whispering as a petite Korean girl walked face down to her college classes, trying  her hardest to not pay attention to what they were saying. With her black-rimmed glasses up her nose and her dark grey hoodie covering her face from anybody’s view, she fixed her eyes upon the ground at her feet, watching the fallen leaves crush underneath her footsteps. It was a hot summer’s day but she felt chills crawling up and down her body. As she hugged the hoodie closer to her body, his smell embraced her and immediately, she felt much better. Ignoring all that was around her, she ran up many flights of stairs to the design studio, the only place where she will ever feel at home at this juncture. 

 

As she entered the studio, several faces turned towards her, all with pity. She gave them a small smile as she blinked back the tears that were threatening to fall out of their sockets. She took her usual seat at the computer and she felt a pair of arms hug her from behind.

 

“It’s going to be alright, you have us.”

 

“Yeah, if we are for you who can be against you!” a fellow classmate shouted.

 

“Wooo!!!” the class cheered on.

 

She wiped away her tears that had fallen and smiled gratefully at her classmates, all nineteen of them.

 

“Thank you.” She took a ninety degree bow.

 

“Hey, we are your friends. If anybody wants to hurt you they are going to have to go through us,” a person patted her on the back.

 

“Thanks Junki.”

 

“Lee Jaeyeong!” a booming voice echoed throughout the whole studio.

 

She watched her classmates stay rooted in their spot, watching in fear as the owner of the voice marched towards her. Given his tall built, she felt real minuscule beside him, but today, she felt like she wasn’t even the size of a human egg. 

 

“Y-yes?” she shivered in reply.

 

He held out a hand and she could hear the class gasp at the same time, frightened that his fearsome man may do anything physical to her.

 

“The whole world may not believe you, but we,” he gestured to all of her classmates with his head, “will always believe you.”

 

The class erupted in applause as they heard the words of their lecturer. Jaeyeong shook her lecturer’s hand bowed to him. “Thank you Mr. Cho.”

 

“Hey! Let’s give Jaeyeong a round of applause shall we!” Junki shouted. 

 

As the class cheered, screamed and clapped for her, Jaeyeong finally felt like she was the luckiest and happiest girl in the world after feeling like the worse human being in the world the past twelve hours. As she looked at each every face that was rooting for her, she knew that it didn’t matter if there were 50 million other people in the country that hated her. As long as the ones she loved and cherished still stood by her side in the good and the bad, that was all she needed to be happy.

 

“Okay back to work! I want your massing studies by the end of the day!”

 

“But sir, that means we only have four hours! Class ends at 1 p.m today!” the class clown, as everybody called him, Clown, retorted.

 

“Well, that means you have to work harder, doesn’t it? Chop chop!” 

 

The class groaned as they took their seats at their own computer, took out their drawing materials and started sketching away. Jaeyeong chuckled to herself at the sight of the hunched backs of her classmates. She took out her phone and sighed. There had been no messages or calls from him ever since the news broke out. Maybe it was better that way if they didn’t contact each other for the time being. Besides, contacting each other may only bring about more harm than good.

 

Time flew by and it was the end of class. Not wanting her classmates to be caught up in the mess that she was in, Jaeyeong made her way out first after much argument from Junki and the rest of her male classmates to be her bodyguards.

 

“I’ll be fine.”

 

“Are you sure?” Junki gave her a quizzical look. “You know those fans of his can be really crazy.”

 

“Crazy as they are, I don’t want to grab anymore attention than I already have.”

 

“Junki, don’t force her.” Yeona, Junki’s girlfriend, tugged at his sleeve and put on her best puppy look.

 

“Aiiisssh. Fine.” Junki fell victim to his girlfriend’s charms.

 

“Thank you, for everything.” Jaeyeong smiled gratefully to him.

 

“Just make sure you don’t get into trouble.”

 

“I already am in trouble.”

 

Jaeyeong closed the door behind her and pulled up her hoodie to cover her face. It was time to make the dangerous journey home. Nobody took any notice to her as she made her way silently through the afternoon rush of students going for their lunch breaks or hurrying to classes. Hoping that this will last for the entire journey towards the exit, Jaeyeong quickened her pace, wanting desperately to get out of the campus. She could feel her breath getting hastier as she looked up and saw the exit. Trying not to run, she walked swiftly towards the gate. She thought she had managed to make it through the day in school without being attacked when a cold hard slap across the face knocked her off her feet. She was still in a blur from the stinging pain when two buckets of freezing dirty water drenched her from head to toe. 

 

She could hear cold cackles of laughter surrounding her small curled up frame on the ground as her head spun from the pain and sudden cold temperature. She attempted to get up when a new pain shot up from her right hand. She held back her cries as she felt a finger breaking from the pressure of a leather boot. The attacker released, and Jaeyeong bit her lip as she fought back the noises that were attempting to come out from .

 

“This is what you get for trying to take Key away from us!” a high-pitched scream echoed throughout the area.  

 

Jaeyeong could not see anything else apart from the legs that were surrounding her. She wanted to scream, call out for help, but she just couldn’t.

 

“Who do you think you are?!”

 

She felt her head being pulled back and another palm came and slapped her across the face, leaving her face to swell, the redness becoming more visible every second.

 

“Lee Jaeyong who do you think you are?! How dare you try to steal our prince! You are not good enough for him!” a different voice yelled.

 

“Nobody has the right to take him away from us! He belongs to us! SHINee’s Key belongs to us!”

 

Jaeyeong struggled to stand up, as the pain from the two slaps and her finger threatened to cause her to go unconscious. She could feel the glares from the three high school girls burn deep into her body. She raised her head and saw that many of the students were all watching, some with their cameras, capturing the ‘classic’ moment. But, none of them seemed willing to help her. 

 

She looked into the eyes of the high school girl who looked like the leader of the trio and bowed. 

 

“I’m sorry.”

 

And she bowed another two times, all with a heavy heart.

 

“Is that all you can say?!!” the girl screamed hysterically.

 

A whistle echoed through the air, “You three! You are not allowed in the campus!”  

 

Jaeyeong looked up to see a security guard with a baton pointed at the trio.

 

“Out!” he shouted at them.

 

“This is not the end. You will see. “ The girls growled through gritted teeth.

 

And they disappeared from sight. The students left slowly one by one, off to tell their friends about what happened to Lee Jaeyeong. The latter picked up her bag, and stumbled out of the campus, her tears staining her already red cheeks.

 

Jaeyeong walked and walked, her drenched clothes gaining attention from strangers in their mid-40s who were oblivious to her situation. The pain in her finger was getting unbearable, but she paid no heed to it. Her clothes began to cause her skin to wrinkle up and she shivered as the piercing cold penetrated her body. 

 

The sun smiled down on her as she continued to walk home, but she couldn’t smile back at it, it was almost impossible. Her tears continued to fall as she heard the joyous laughter of a child who had just gotten his favorite pencil case; they fell as she saw a mother and daughter happily eating ddukboki under the shade of a nearby tree. She saw neighbours greeting each other happily as they talked about the good sales they had from their provision stores.

 

It was then that she passed by a newsstand and saw the very headlines that had caused her insomnia the night before, the very thing that was the reason why she walked to school with her head down, why she was attacked by three high school girls that she didn’t know; the reason why he hadn’t called or texted her today.

 

SHINEE’S KEY AND LEE JAEYEONG ARE DATING

On Sunday night at KST 2000hrs, a netizen who goes by the username secretsuntold uploaded screenshots of what appeared to be Lee Jaeyeong’s WhatsApp conversation with SHINee’s Key. The netizen, apart from saying that the screenshots were real and was an actual conversation between the two, did not elaborate on how he managed to get the screenshots.

 

Through the screenshots, netizens could see that the conversation between Lee and Key suggested that the two were a couple (refer to pictures on the right). Though there are netizens who believe that this is all a hoax, majority of Key’s fans are enraged by these screenshots and have actually gone to the extent of closing down their forums.

 

We managed to speak to a representative of Lee’s managing company, GAME, and he expressed that GAME does not know how those screenshots were taken, but they will get to the bottom of the matter and find out who secretsuntold is. SM Entertainment however, has declined all calls and is unreachable.

 

This piece of news has caused an uproar among many young people in Korea. The fans of both Lee and Key are dividid into the ‘supporters’ and ‘non-supporters’. On SHINee’s official Daum cafe, some fans have expressed their thoughts by commenting, “Our idols have the right to date, they are human to.” Others have a different view, and are scolding Lee for ‘taking away’ their prince. “She has no right to date Key, he belongs to us!”

 

Both Lee and Key have not come forward to address this issue so far. One worries what will be the future of SHINee and SM Entertainment as this is the first time a relationship has been publicly discovered.

 

 

Jaeyeong finished reading the article for what seemed like the hundredth time and looked at the screenshots of her conversation with Key that had gone on the night before, the conversation that she thought was private.

 

 

Hey honey! I had a great time this morning :)

 

Haha, glad you did. You are going to need all that energy now that you are promoting Hello.

 

:D Watch out for Friday’s performance!

 

Why??

 

I’m gonna do something :p

 

What??

 

It’s a surprise!

 

Tell me!

 

Tell me, tell me, t-t-t-t-t-tell me

 

KIM KIBUM!!!!

 

My lips are sealed.

 

Urrrghhhh.....I hatechuuu...

 

I love you too! Muacks!

 

Eww don’t do that! 

 

Why not??

 

It’s....too mushy. Yuck.

 

Haha, I know that you know you like it ;)

 

Oh shut up. *blush*

 

Teehee :D

 

Oh yes! The picture we took today! Send it to me!

 

Ahhh...so your phone is finally charged.

 

Of course! How else could I be texting you now??

 

Hehe, that’s true :) My boyfriend is so smart :) Hold on for awhile...

 

Okay here you go!

 

Heh, I’m gonna set it as my wallpaper

 

Aren’t you afraid your fans will see it??

 

Nah. I just won’t take out my phone when they are around.

 

So this surprise thing?? You better tell me!!!

 

It’s just something I’ll do during the performance and you will know it is for you.

 

How will I know??!!

 

You will just know.

 

Oh come on Bummie, tell me!

 

SSHHHHHHH. No can tell! :D

 

You are so annoying you know that?!

 

I know :p

 

I wonder why you are my boyfriend.....

 

‘Coz I’m awwwweeeesoommmeeee!!!

 

Yea yea whatever. =.=”

 

K I gtg, radio interview. I’ll call you later tonight k?

 

Yeah....

 

I love you <3

 

Love you too <3

 

Btw you are an awesome girlfriend. Muacks <3

 

 

 

And that was it. That was the conversation that had been exposed to the whole of Korea, the whole world, in just one night. Jaeyeong tightened her hood around her head, stuffed her hands into the pockets and continued on her way home. How was she ever going to get through this?

 

Upon reaching home, Jaeyeong stepped right into the shower without taking her clothes off and just let the warm water run. She hoped that the water would hide the tears that she was crying, even though no one would see. She hoped the noise of the water hitting the tiles would hide her screams of pain, even though no one would hear. As she continued to let out the feelings bottled inside since the start of the day, she crouched down and hugged her knees to her chest. She had never felt so alone and vulnerable before. 

 

She stayed in the shower for what seemed like an hour before she finally started washing herself, trying to get rid of the smell of the dirty water those high school girls had poured unto her. Feeling fragrant again, she got out of the shower. Whilst getting dress, she couldn’t hold her shirt properly as the index finger of her right hand had been broken. Wincing with each move her finger involuntarily made, she finally managed to pull her shirt over her head. 

 

Jaeyeong spent the rest of the day cooped up in her bedroom, with her companion JJ, who was a mix breed of border collie and German shepherd. She received calls from friends and family, but ignored them all. When it was almost 7p.m, her bedroom door opened with a loud noise and she looked up to see her roommate, Hye Min.

 

“Jaeyeong...your face...”

 

Jaeyeong was pulled into Hye Min’s arms as the latter sobbed into her shoulder.

 

“Are you okay? Hye Min asked in deep concern, her orbs looking deep into Jaeyeong’s.

 

“I...I don’t know.” Jaeyeong breathed. She couldn’t find her voice, she just didn’t want to speak to anyone.

 

“Are you hungry? I intend to cook some spaghetti, your favorite.” Hye Min smiled.

 

“I’m not hungry.”

 

“A-are you sure? I saw what happened, some people uploaded videos. How dare they do those things to you!”

 

Hye Min went on and scolded those high school girls, calling them es and good-for-nothings, but Jaeyeong wasn’t listening at all. The only thing that filled her mind was her desire to be left alone.

 

“Hye Min, stop.” 

 

“Huh?”

 

“I just want to be alone now..sorry.”

 

“O-okay. I’ll you bring some food later okay?” Hye Min placed a hand on her shoulder.

 

“I’m not hungry.” Jaeyeong said once again.

 

There was a long silence. “Okay. If you are hungry just let me know, alright?”

 

Jaeyeong just nodded to get Hye Min out of the way. When she heard the sound of the door click, Jaeyeong felt bad for treating her best friend in such a manner. She was only concerned, after all she, Jaeyeong, was caught in a terrible situation. Hye Min had always been by Jaeyeong’s side in the worse of times. She was the first to know about her relationship with Key, and the first one to run to her side when she had her first fight with her boyfriend. Yet now, when Jaeyeong  was in a situation where she really needed her best friend, she could only push Hye Min aside.

 

“I’m a terrible person.” 

 

Hours passed and she could feel the gastric juices in her stomach screaming to want to break down some carbohydrates and lactose. Jaeyeong could feel herself getting weaker, and probably getting the flu, but she had no appetite to eat at all, knowing that she will probably just end up vomiting everything out. She decided to go to bed when there was a knock on her door.

 

“I’m not hungry,” she mustered all the strength she could to raise her voice.

 

The door opened and a low voice said, “I’m not here to bring you food.”

 

Jaeyeong turned her head and looked up to see the person that was in this situation together with her...

 

“Kibum...”

 

He sat down next to her on the floor by the bedside and hugged her tight. The waterworks started again as Jaeyeong held on tight to the only person in the world who could make all this better.

 

“Ssh, I’m here.” He kissed her forehead.

 

More tears started to fall from her eyes as she snuggled into his neck, his cologne acting as her oxygen.  They stayed in that position for a while, until Key received a call.

 

“Hello? I’m with Jaeyeong now. I know, hyung. I may not be going back to the dorm tonight. Okay. Bye.”

 

“Manager?” Jaeyeong asked knowingly.

 

“Yeah...” Key sighed.

 

“What did he say? Does he want you back in the dorm now?”

 

“No. He said I could stay over tonight, but I better not get caught by paparazzi or fans at all.”

 

“Okay.”

 

Key pulled back from Jaeyeong and looked carefully at the girl who went through so much trouble for being together with him. She felt his soft fingers caress her swollen cheeks, the mark of the girl’s hand still there.

 

“Why didn’t you tell me what happened?” he croaked.

 

Jaeyeong pulled back and turned to face her back towards Key.

 

“You have enough on your plate. If I told you what happened it would only bring more problems for you to worry about.”

 

“Do you think I would have felt better if I had to find out about what happened to you through the internet and not from you? Do you think it made me feel better to know that my girlfriend was suffering silently behind my back while I was busy having practice? Do you SERIOUSLY think it made me feel better to know that I could not be there to protect you?!” Key shouted at the end.

 

Jaeyeong whimpered at the sound of Key’s anger ringing through the room. She had never seen him so angry before.

 

“I’m sorry...I’m sorry...” she cried as she hugged her knees.

 

“I’m sorry too.” Key hugged her from behind. “I shouldn’t have yelled at you.

 

She felt Key’s strong arms turn her around and he held her chin up, forcing her to look up at him. His eyes were filled with anguish and regret. It hurt her to see Key in such a state.

 

“How did you find out about what happened?” Jaeyeong muffled between sobs.

 

“The videos are all over the internet...Taemin found it first and immediately showed it to me. He’s really angry. They all are.”

 

“I’m sorry...” she started crying again.

 

“Why do you keep saying sorry?” Key said with a note of impatience.

 

“I don’t know. I feel like th-this is all my fault! I’m a jinx! I-I don’t know why I keep doing things that make people unhappy. I hate myself! I’m a horrible person!” she grabbed her hair and sobbed even harder.

 

Key’s arms embraced her again as she continued to cry her heart out, her already puffy eyes spilling out the tears that had a never-ending flow.

 

“You shouldn’t hate yourself, and you are definitely not a horrible person.” Key pulled back and cupped Jaeyeong’s face in his hands.

 

“You give me too much credit,” Jaeyeong said.

 

“No, you are giving yourself too little credit.”

 

“Can’t you see the damaged I’ve done? I’ve hurt so many girls around the world, I’ve caused my friends and family to worry about me, I’ve caused you to have to come here and see me in such a broken state!”

 

“Get yourself together Lee Jaeyeong!” Key bellowed, and Jaeyeong looked at him in shock at his sudden outburst.

 

Key took a deep breath and looked into her eyes.

 

“Do you have any idea how many young girls out there are living out their dreams of becoming a dancer because of you? Yoogeun’s sister wants to be just like you when she grows up. And for your dance crew? Each and every single one of them have said that you are a wonderful girl. When we got together they warned me that if I were to break your heart, they would make sure my heart will get broken ten times worse. And Hye Min. You have made her a much happier person since her parents’ passed away. She used to mope around every single day but from the moment you stepped into her life, things took a change for the better. You know what is your flaw? You only see the bad stuff in you, you don’t see the many good points about you. Lee Jaeyeong, you bring laughter and joy to your friends and family. You brighten up their day when they are feeling down. And the best part about you? You’ve made my life so much more than just singing and dancing everyday. You’ve made me happier, you’ve made me found a new reason to sing. You....you are amazing, you know that?”

 

Jaeyeong and Key stayed in their positions without making a sound. The silence was so loud that you could hear a pin drop. Finally, she spoke up.

 

“If all you said is true-”

 

“There’s no if, it’s all true.”

 

She frowned. “No interruptions.”

 

“Sorry,” he hurriedly apologized.

 

“If all you said is true, why do I still hurt other people so much?”

 

“You are not hurting them, you just became such a significant part of their lives that when you go through pain, they feel it too.”

 

“Just to digress a little, since when did you become so wise?” Jaeyeong titled her head to the side, surprised at her boyfriend’s sudden maturity.

 

“Since I started dating you.”

 

If Jaeyeong was blushing, Key couldn’t really tell because her cheeks were already red from those two tight slaps.

 

“Listen, we are going to pull through this together. I don’t care if my fans hate me for having a girlfriend, because you are way more important to me. If they really are my fans they should support me in my relationships. Right now, my priority is you. Don’t give up on me, and don’t give up on yourself. Understand?”

 

“You really think I’m amazing?”

 

“Correction. I KNOW you are amazing.” Key said with certainty.

 

Jaeyeong leaned in and gave him a small kiss. “Thank you.”

 

“For?”

 

“For everything,” she smiled. “I love you, Kibum.”

 

Key grabbed her around the waist and straddled Jaeyeong on his now outstretched legs. With his hand on her face, he pulled her towards him until their lips met, and he lingered there for a while before breaking the kiss, his face only a few millimeters away from hers. 

 

“I love you too, Jaeyeong.”

 

And their lips met again. Know those scenes in those really romantic movies where kisses just make everything better again? This was one of those scenes. The kiss gradually turned into a make-out session as Jaeyeong craved for those lips that sent sparks flying through her body every single time. Her hands found their way to Key’s neck, pulling their bodies closer. With her lips already slightly parted, Key’s tongue s its way into , tasting her. His hands were wrapped tightly around her waist as her fingers moved within his ruffled hair.

 

Jaeyeong broke away to get some air but before she could take a breather, Key’s lips found hers again. Her hands moved down to his chest as he cupped her face, biting her lip as he did so.

 

“Your fans are so going to hate me for kissing you like this,” Jaeyeong said between Key’s soft kisses.

 

“Of course they will, they all want me so badly. Why do you think they hate you?”

 

Jaeyeong slapped him on the chest with her right hand and immediately pain shot through her index finger...

 

“Oww...” she moaned in pain.

 

“What’s wrong?” Key asked worriedly.

 

“My finger is broken.”

 

“What? Why didn’t you tell me?! No,” Key put up his finger to stop Jaeyeong from answering, “don’t answer. You need to go to the hospital right now.”

 

Jaeyeong attempted to stand up but her legs gave way.

 

“Did you eat anything at all today?” Key looked down at her.

 

“Umm, I had a slice of bread in the morning? Heeeee,” she smiled sheepishly.

 

“Aiiissshhh,” he groaned.

 

Key picked her up bridal style and opened the door skillfully.

 

“What’s going on?” Hye Min asked from the sofa, a look of worry on her face.

 

“Jaeyeong is too weak to walk and she has a broken finger.”

 

“What?! Jaeyeong why didn’t you say anything?!!”

 

“Would you both stop asking me the same question!” Jaeyeong exclaimed exasperatedly.

 

“Okay, okay! Uh, I’ll drive Jaeyeong to the hospital, and get some food on the way. I don’t care, you are eating. Key, I think it’s best that you stay here. If you tag along it will only bring about a lot of unwanted attention. I’ll call you for any updates.”

 

Hye Min took Jaeyeong from Key’s arms and placed her best friend’s arm around her neck.

 

“Jaeyeong I think you are running a fever, your body is really hot!” Hye Min exclaimed.

 

“Just get her to the hospital quick.” Key hurried the both of them.

 

Grabbing her keys and her bag, Hye Min carried Jaeyeong out of the apartment with the help of Key.

 

“Wait!” Key called out.

 

Jaeyeong turned around.

 

“Hwaiting.” Key smiled and held up a fist.

 

She smiled back at him and held up her fist as well. “Hwaiting.”